Trunk.



G. H. WHEARY.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. 1911.

1;051,938. Patented Feb. 4,1913.

2 SHEETS-{SHEET 1.

G.. H. WHEARY.

TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11, 1911.

1 5L938 Patented Feb. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GEORGE H. w'nnanr, or'nacrn'n, WISCGNSIN.

TRUNK.

To a whom it may concern Be it known that l, GEORGE H. WHEARY, a citizenof the United States of America, and resident of Racine. Wisconsin, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Trunks. of whichthe'following is a specification.

My invention relates to wardrobe trunks of that kind in which someportion of the trunk, such, for example, a tray, is provided with meansfor supporting the clothing on hangers of the usual or any suitable formor character.

It relates more particularly to a trunk of thiskind in which the trayhaving the wardrobe feature is mounted on a hinged end,

wall of the trunk, whereby the said tray can be brought into an uprightposition when the trunk is open. Previous to my invention trunks of thischaracter were so constructed that the said tray could not be removed.as it was fastened permanently to the said swinging end wall of thetrunk body. For this reason they could only be used as wardrobe trunksand not as ordinary steamer trunks.

The object of my invention is. therefore, to provide a wardrobe trunk ofthis kind in which the tray containing the wardrobe feature is removablefrom the swinging end wall of the trunk body. whereby the said trunk isadapted also for use as an ordinary steamer trunk, when the said tray isdetached and removed therefrom, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

To these and other useful ends my invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth and claimed, I

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective of a wardrobetrunk embodying the principles of my invention, showing the same openand/the wardrobe tray raised to a vertical or upright position.-

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the same trunk with the said wardrobe trayremoved, showing the said trunk open and adapted for use as an ordinarysteamer trunk. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section on line 3-3 inFig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one of thesockets in the edge of the swinging end wall or the trunk body, wherebythe end of the wardrobe tray is secured thereto.

As thus illustrated, the trunk has the shape and general characteristicsof the ordinary steamer trunk, comprising a body A,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1911.

Patented Feb. d, till-3.

serial no. 607,951.

a swinging top or cover B. and a tray C. which latter has one endsecured to the swinging end wall a of the said body. The top or cover Bmay hold a swinging tray or compartmentl) provided at one end with a,

pivoted leg (Z by which it is supported when swung down as shown in Fig.2, or when in use in conjunction with the wardrobe tray shown in thepreceding figure. The said tray C has its lower end-that is to say, theend which is down when the tray raised, provided with hooks c thatengage the sockets a in the edge of the swinging end wall a of the body.This end of the said tray is also provided with thumb-screws c whichengage threaded sockets a in the said end wall a of the trunk body. Theupper end of the said wardrobe tray is equipped with a folding or anyother suitable hanger rack E upon which are supported the hangers e,which latter may also be of any suitable form or character. Hangerarrangements ot'this kind are common. and as I do not limit myself toany particular construction of this wardrobe feature. no furtherdetailed description thereof is necessary.

The swinging end wall a can be provided with catches or other fasteningdevices a that engage suitable socket-pieces a on the front and backwalls of the trunk body. The top or cover B can also be provided with asimilar catch or locking device I) for engaging a suitable socket-piecea on the upper edge or the swinging end wall a, whereby the latter isheld. firmly in place when the trunk is closed. Bolts or other suitabledevices d on the bottom of the tray D can be employed for locking orholding the latter in place in the top or cover when the latter is open.Now, as shown in Fig. 1, the trunk is open and in condition for use as awardrobe trunk. In this condition, the swinging end wall a is open andresting flatwise upon the door, and

the tray C is in an upright position with the wardrobe feature or.hanger-rack arrangement at the upper end thereof. As the wall it restson the floor, there is less danger of the trunk tipping over when thewardrobe section is raised to an upright position. The wardrobe sectionis adapted to rest at the bottom of the trunk, and the wall a is adaptedto rest on the door in the plane of said bottom. The trunk is closed bysimply swinging the tray C downward into the trunk, and by then closingthe top or cover B, in the usual and well known manner. Suppose,however, that it is desired to dispense with the wardrobe feature, andto use the such case, the thumb-screws c are taken out, and the tray Cis then detached or removed by disengaging the hooks 0 from the socketsa, whereby the trunk is reduced to the condition shown in Fig. 2. Inthis condition clothing can be packed in the body A of the trunk, in theusual and well known manner, and the entire structure becomes suitablefor use as an ordinary steamer trunk. The wardrobe tray C, it will beseen, is a complete receptacle in itself, and when detached remainsintact with rigidly connected side and end walls and bottom. It is,however, as previously explained, provided with one end wall which isadapted to be secured fiatwise upon the inner surface of theswinging endwall of the trunk body. In this way the said tray can be quickly removedor replaced, and the trunk changed from oneeondition to another,depending upon the requirements of the user. It is, therefore, a highlyefiicient wardrobe trunk which is readily convertible into an ordinarysteamer trunk.

So far as the broader aspect of my invention is concerned, whichinvolves the pro vision of means for readily converting a high-classwardrobe trunk into an ordinary steamer trunk, I do not limit myself tothe exact construction shown and described,

/Vhatil claim as invention is:

l. A trunk comprising a body provided with an end wall, which end wallis mounted to swing outward and rest flatwise upon the floor, and awardrobe section comprising a rectangular tray having closed and rigidlyconnected ends and sides and bottom, one end of the tray being providedwith thumbscrews and projections, and the said swinging end wall beingprovided with sockets adapted to receive the said thumbscrews andprojections, the said thumhscrews and protrunk as an ordinary steamertrunk. In

oaneaa jections being insertible in directions at right angles to eachother, as set forth.

2. In a trunk, a flat body provided with an outwardly-swinging end wall,a flat wardrobe section lying at the bottom of said body, and means fordetachably securing one end of said section to said end wall, said meanspermitting disengagement of the section by sliding movement of thelatter on the inner surface of the end wall toward the free edgethereof, and said section being upright when the said end wall rests onthe floor.

3. In a trunk, a body open at one end, an outer end wall hinged to theedge of the bottom of the body, adapted to close the said open endthereof, said wall having its outer edge provided with sockets, theinner surface of said wall having screw-threaded openings near the inneredge thereof, an inner end wall adapted to rest fiatwise upon the innersurface of said outer end-wall, said inner end wall having hooks forremovably engaging said sockets, the said inner end Wall being alsoprovided with screws adapted to engage said threaded openings, saidscrews and hooks cooperating to removably connect the said inner endwall to the said outer end wall, to form a wall of double thickness, anda whardroloe section carried by said inner end wa 4. In a trunk, a bodyprovided with an outwardly and downwardly swinging end wall, and arectangular tray having an end wall thereof removably secured upon theinner surface of said swinging end wall, and adapted to be supported in.a vertical position by said end wall when said wall is swung downward.

Signed bv me at Racine, Wis, this 7th day of Feby. 1911.

ononon n. wnnanv.

Witnesses:

MAX Bnocn, CLINT. D. FnAznLL.

